


Cold Feet

by zania330



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), College (mentioned), F/M, Marriage Proposal, Other, Winter Break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-24 10:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16638473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zania330/pseuds/zania330
Summary: "Look, there's still another three weeks before winter break is over. That should be plenty of time to find time to ask her."Three weeks before Carlos had to drive back to school [...]. He didn’t want to wait that long.------(or "three times that Carlos De Vil tried to propose to Mal, and one time he didn't have to")





	1. Three Weeks Left

**Author's Note:**

> Things to keep in mind in this fic:
> 
> -It takes place about a year and a half since the Core Four have graduated high school. Evie, Jay, and Carlos are respectively attending college/university, but Mal isn't. In this fic, she took a gap year, and is out living on her own  
> -Carlos is about two years younger than the rest. The others are about 20, making him 18
> 
> The dynamic between Mal and Carlos is heavily inspired by my interactions with @devillains on tumblr. Any Carlos fans should check out their writing!

The moment the door opened, Carlos was quick to stumble inside, still shivering from the cold air outside. Evie was standing in front of him, but instead of the warm smile he was expecting (having not seen her in the past month), he was immediately greeted with a look of disapproval.

“Hi, Evie…” He trailed off, slow to shut the door ...and, there still no response from her. 

Swallowing, he managed to tear his gaze away from hers momentarily to look around the hallway. “Um, you have a nice place. Glad to see you moved in alright ...I know it’s not a castle, or anything, but I would say that it’s still very—”

“You’re late.  _ Horribly _ late,” Evie finally spoke up, hands going to her hips, and sighing. “Jay kept asking where you were, and not even Mal had an answer. None of us could get ahold of you.”

He frowned at that revelation. “I know, and I’m sorry,” He insisted, immediately. “I was driving. I couldn’t exactly use my phone.”

“You know what, you can fill me in once we’re with the others,” She told him, reaching down for his hand and starting to pull him away from the door. “They’re over here in—”

“No—!” Carlos exclaimed, pulling her back to the spot where they stood, before dropping his voice low. “ _Mal can’t know._ ”

“What?” Evie stared at him with confusion, dropping his hand. “What can’t she know?”

Lips pressed together, Carlos glanced over Evie’s shoulder, as if to make sure that the others couldn’t see or hear them. He sighed, a way to release his nerves, and he looked back at her. “The reason I was late was because I was out getting this.”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small box and removed the lid. Inside it was a gold-colored ring. Two rows of sharp teeth made up the top and bottom. It didn’t appear to be special in any way, other than just having a cool design, but Evie knew better. “Is this…?”

“It’s for Mal—and yeah, it took a while to find this exact ring,” Carlos confirmed with a nod, quick to cover the box again. “I know it’s not a proper engagement ring, but ...well, I had a silver one like it that Mal stole back in high school. She has it, and I think she still wears it, but I guess I wanted to be able to give her one of her own.” Somehow, it just seemed right, rather than giving her an orthodox diamond. Mal wasn’t an orthodox girl, after all. “...i-if it’s not enough though, I can get a proper ring. Maybe this’ll just be a placeholder, and—”

“No way! That ring is perfect for Mal,” Evie assured him quickly, her earlier disapproval now replaced with a bright smile. “Carlos, I’m so happy for you guys!”

“Well, Mal has to say yes first,” He shook his head, even though he was grinning a bit.

“Of course she’ll say yes. She loves you.”

A light blush dusted his cheeks at the thought, as he stared down at the small box, brushing his thumb over the lid. “I really love her,” He spoke, his smile widening, before he looked back at Evie. “I know we planned this meet-up a month ago, and I should’ve told you sooner that I was going to propose to her tonight, but—”

“Wait, you’re asking her  _ tonight _ ?” Evie stopped him, raising an eyebrow. “No. That won’t do.”

He blinked with confusion. “W-Why?” 

“You showed up an hour late, and Mal had no idea where you were that whole time. She was getting really worried. You don’t think she’s going to be a little pissed when she finally sees you?”

Carlos’ face fell at that reminder, and he sighed. “Right…” He mumbled, pocketing the box again. “Then, when should I ask her?”

Evie glanced off to the side, thinking carefully. “Look, there’s still another three weeks before winter break is over. That should be plenty of time to find time to ask her.” Granted, Mal wasn’t the one in university, but the rest of them were. Three weeks before Carlos had to drive back to school, and he wouldn’t see Mal for at least another month. He didn’t want to wait that long. “If I were you though, I’d wait until Christmas is over. Holiday proposals are kind of cliche ...New Year’s Eve could be cute though.”

Well, that just left two weeks then, but Carlos supposed that was still pretty reasonable. “Alright. I’ll wait,” He gave in, somewhat reluctantly. 

Evie nodded, but after a moment, she pulled him into a hug. “You can do it,” She assured him, pulling away and offering the boy a smile. She then took his hand again. “Now come on. Not only are Mal and Jay in the living room, but so is hot chocolate. You look like you need it.”

He definitely couldn’t say no to that.

Carlos followed Evie to the living room, finding Jay and Mal talking on the couch. Jay was quick to get up and greet him, albeit with a punch to the arm. It was most likely for him being late, but all seemed to be forgiven pretty easily. It didn’t seem like it would be so easy with Mal though. She remained on the couch, staring up at him with distaste while she slowly took a sip from her mug.

“Hey…” He greeted with a slight wince, taking a seat next to her.

Mal was silent, lowering her mug onto the nearby table. “I know you said you were going to be a little late tonight, but an hour is just a  _ bit excessive _ , don’t you think?” She spoke with false pleasantry that disappeared in the next moment. “Where the hell were you?” She questioned firmly, and while she was clearly upset, he could still see the worry that was etched into her expression. “And don’t even think about lying.”

“You know I’m terrible at lying to you,” He reminded her, which was going to make coming up with an excuse a lot harder. Mal had a tendency to see right through him. “I… I can’t tell you.”

“And why not?” She raised her eyebrows at him.

Carlos paused, pressing his lips together for a moment. He couldn’t tell her about the ring, not yet. The moment had to be just right. She deserved a decent proposal out of him. “I will, I promise, but it can’t be tonight,” He insisted, gently. “Trust me on this, please. I swear it’s nothing to worry over. You’ll know, eventually.”

Mal kept her gaze on him, searching his eyes and hoping to find something, only to realize how much this meant to him. Her shoulders dropped, and she sighed quietly. “Okay,” She gave in, begrudgingly, after a moment had passed. “I trust you.”

He let out a sigh of relief, and placed his hand on top of hers. “...not gonna lie, but I thought you’d be more pissed.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re not off the hook yet,” She reaffirmed him with a shake of her head, even if her tone had eased up. “I’ll be bugging you about this for a while, pup.”

“I figured,” He groaned lightly.

She smiled at him with mischief and satisfaction, but her expression soon softened. She brought his hand to her lips so that she could press a kiss to it. “Just tell me whenever you’re ready. Alright?”

Looking into her eyes, Carlos felt his nerves settle down again, and he gave her a soft smile. “Thanks, for being understanding.”

“Yeah. Aren’t you lucky to have me?” She grinned playfully at him, until she spotted Jay out of the corner of her eye, picking up her mug from the table. Her eyes narrowed. “ _ —Jay _ ! That’s  _ mine _ !”

Mal was quick to launch herself off the couch and go after the thief. “It’s not like you were drinking it!” Jay objected with a laugh, trying to stay out of her grasp. Meanwhile, Evie was ushering at him to stop moving so quickly, not wanting the hot chocolate to spill onto the floor.

While this was going on, Carlos remained on the couch, leaning back and stifling a chuckle from all the chaos. His eyes landed on Mal though, and despite his girlfriend’s clear anger, he found his smile growing just a little wider. He mumbled, “Yeah. I am lucky.”


	2. Two Weeks Left

New Year’s Eve was in full swing tonight. While it wasn’t as large or grand as the ball that the royal family threw for Christmas (something that Mal and Carlos were both reluctant to attend in the first place, but went anyway out of support), Ben opted to just inviting close friends this time for a little celebration at the Beast Castle. Suffice to say, it was a lot easier for the pair to say yes this time. Many of their old friends were scattered throughout the den, drinks in hand and chatting about with each other. It was nice to know that a lot of them were in good places in their lives since graduation…

Carlos, on the other hand, wasn’t as at ease. The ring box was back in his pocket, and it felt heavy. He decided to take Evie’s advice on proposing on New Year’s Eve—not at midnight though. That just sounded like a hassle. Waiting until afterward seemed like a better bet.

Until then, he was abiding his time with Jay. He had filled him in on the proposal already, and Jay had apparently taken it upon himself to keep Carlos focused and hyped.

“You’re not chickening out of this one,” He had told him. “I’m kicking your ass if you do.”

“I’m not going to,” Carlos kept insisting. He was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to, at least.

He stayed near Jay’s side most of the night, trailing near him as people came by to greet and catch up with them. It wasn’t that Carlos didn’t want to catch up with everyone, but he didn’t want to do it on his own. It was difficult trying to keep up conversations with people. It was different with Evie, Mal and Jay though. He found it infinitely easier to understand them, but then again, the four of them had been through a lot.

As midnight drew closer, Jay went off to look for Lonnie, but not without wishing Carlos luck and giving him a heavy pat on the back.

He almost fell forward as a result.

Looking around the den, it wasn’t long until he spotted Mal sitting on a bean bag in the corner of the room. With a smile, Carlos began to approach her and knelt down by her side.

“ _Carlos!_ ” She gasped upon seeing him, a dazed smile coming to her lips. “There you are! I was looking for you earlier.”

Mal appeared to be eager see him ... _too_ eager. Carlos already knew what that meant, but the fact that she smelled of wine confirmed it.

She was drunk. Just his luck.

It wasn’t that Mal was terrible when she was drunk, it was quite the opposite. She was… kind of like a child. She was a lot nicer, more smiley, but she also lost all boundaries and sense of personal space. More often than not, whenever Carlos was around drunk Mal, he would get poked in the cheek a lot and she’d keep giggling about it. He didn’t have it in him to tell her to stop.

“Well, I’m right here,” He assured her, reaching down for her hand.

Without a word, Mal pulled him right onto the bean bag with her, making him yelp. “There we go,” She mumbled, scooting to the side a bit so that there was more room for him to sink into the bag. “Isn’t that comfier?”

“Y-Yeah…” He found himself blushing just a little over how close he was to Mal, especially in public.

She smiled up at him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. “I was missing you, you know. You left me—for _Jay_ ,” She grumbled the name, getting pouty, and Carlos couldn’t stop himself from laughing at the implication.

“He’s my friend. Yours too,” He reminded her, although not taking her words as seriously as she seemed to be.

“I know he is,” She gave into that fact, sitting up slightly in an attempt to seem more dignified. “I’m just saying, he already has Lonnie to smooch at midnight. If he gets you too, then who am I supposed to make out with tonight?”

“I’m sure Evie would if you asked her nicely,” He suggested, playfully.

Mal blinked a couple of times, as if pretending to consider it. “Hmm… Okay,” She accepted, starting to get up.

“What—? No!” Carlos objected, learning up and wrapping his arms around her waist to stop her from getting up. “I was joking!”

“Nope, too late!” She tried wriggling out of his grasp to no avail. “You can have Jay. I’m gonna make out with Evie at midnight!”

“ _Nooo_ , Mal,” He whined, not about to let go of her, while she kept laughing.

It wasn’t long until Mal let herself get pulled back, squealing as she landed on top of his lap. Staring at him, she smiled and leaned down until her face was inches from his. “Say it,” She taunted, smugly. “Say you want to kiss me at midnight.”

Carlos chuckled, meeting her gaze ...until he began to realize that he couldn’t propose tonight. He was probably more guaranteed to get a yes, but not a sober one. His smile faltered a bit, and he hoped she wouldn’t notice. With any luck, she would be too drunk to notice.

“I’d rather kiss you now.”

Giving him a gentle smile, Mal leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She tasted like wine, but Carlos didn’t mind it so much. Just being this close to her was enough for now. He’d take what he could get in that moment, which was apparently drunk kisses from his girlfriend.

“Come on, dude,” Jay’s voice broke them out of it. “It’s not even midnight yet!”

Carlos peered past his girlfriend’s head to see Jay standing above them. He was just about ready to apologize, when Mal beat him to speaking. “Oh, go smooch your own girlfriend,” She dismissed the thief, turning her attention to Carlos again and pulling him in for another kiss—a more intense one, clearly to show off. It was one that he was _definitely_ not prepared for.

He knew he probably should’ve stopped her, but he couldn’t help but melt further into the kiss, especially when she started tugging at his hair...

Plus, the longer he kissed Mal, the longer he delayed his inevitable fate of Jay kicking his ass for chickening out.


	3. One Week Left

Blizzards sucked. Mal didn’t think they existed in Auradon, where the weather seemed practically perfect every day, but the kingdom found itself hit with mass amounts of snow that day. The general lands were fine, but a few neighborhoods suffered power outages that day—including Mal’s. Her studio apartment lost power that evening, turning the TV black, and effectively ending hers and Carlos’ plans to start binging _The Dragon Prince_ for the rest of the night in their pajamas.

Instead of relaxing as planned, the two of them were rushing to find and ignite as many sources of light as they could before it got too dark outside. While Carlos started up the fireplace, Mal went in search of some candles to put up around the room.

“How much of a fire hazard do you think we’re creating right now?” Carlos found himself asking, looking to see that Mal was lighting the last candle over by the kitchen.

“A pretty big one,” She admitted, blowing the match out and discarding it. “We’ll just have to be extra careful then, won’t we?”

Carlos snorted, crossing his legs while Mal took a seat next to him in front of the fireplace. “I can’t believe you don’t have a flashlight.”

“A flashlight can’t keep you warm. Fire does.”

“Blankets can also keep you warm,” He retorted. “And they’re not nearly as deadly as fire.”

She rolled her eyes, snatching a blanket from the couch. “You want to bet?” And with that, she threw the blanket right onto his face.

“Joke's on you," He remarked from underneath. "I'm still alive."

Mal chuckled, grabbing the rest of the blankets and pillows from the couch, and pulling them onto the floor. Carlos’ head had already emerged from underneath the original blanket, and Mal offered him a pillow. “Thanks.”

It wasn’t long until the two of them managed to create a pillow pile on the ground for them to lay on. The blankets were draped over their bodies, but for extra measure, they were still laying next to each other. Perhaps it wasn’t necessary to keep them warm enough, but it definitely provided comfort.

“So this is it?” Carlos asked, after a passing moment. “We just lie here for the rest of the night?”

“I guess so,” Mal mumbled in response with her eyes closed, her hand playing gently with his hair to abide their time. “Not that I’m complaining, I’m good right where I am. I could fall asleep right here...”

“Me too,” He gave in, glancing up at her, but not moving so much as to dislodge her hand from his head. He liked it when she played with his hair. Just another comfort. “We’ll probably want to put out the candles before we even think of sleeping, though.”

“But I’m already comfy,” She repeated, opening her eyes and pouting at him.

He chuckled, pausing to enjoy the moment just a little longer, before he brought himself to sit up. “I’ll put them out then.”

“I meant, that I’m comfy _with_ you,” She groaned playfully, trying to reach up for him with one hand. “I don’t want to be without you.”

The words warmed Carlos’ heart to hear spoken, even if Mal likely meant it in a different context in that moment. “...you really like being around me that much?” He found himself asking anyway, his tone somewhat surprised.

Blinking, the playful demeanor left Mal’s face. “Well, yeah,” She answered easily, sitting herself up and tucking some hair behind her ear. Through her tiredness, she spoke. “I generally do. Case and point, there’s the fact that I’m dating you. The fact that I’m letting you stay in my apartment while you visit—”

“Which I’m very grateful for,” He added, making her chuckle. “Thanks again for that.”

“—and, most of all, the plain fact that I love you, and that by some miracle, you love me,” She told him, honestly. “I know that we’ve been through a lot. I’ve been mean to you before, and kind, and controlling ...I mean, you know what a bitch I am, and you’ve stuck with me anyway.”

“So have Evie and Jay,” He reminded her, a grin coming to his lips. “I mean, the four of us: _we’re rotten_ —”

“— _to the core_ ,” She finished, punching him lighting in the arm, while using her other hand to cover up a yawn. “That’s _my_ line.”

Carlos laughed a bit at that. “Sorry.”

Mal matched his smile, but then shook her head. “It’s different with you though. I don’t feel like I have to pretend, or try to be anything special when I’m with you.” Because even with Evie and Jay, there were still parts of herself Mal felt she had to restrain. “When I’m with you, I just feel… like me. I can just be Mal, and it’s enough for you. More than it is for anyone else.”

“Mal, you’re already more than enough, especially for me,” Carlos assured her, looking right into her eyes. “You’re probably the one person that knows me best, and not just because you can totally see right through me all the time. You know me because I trust you to know me. You say you’re a bitch, but I like how blunt you are. You make sense to me that way. You don’t beat around the bush, you don’t play games—well, _sometimes_ you do, but the people on the other end usually deserve it,” He gave in, earning a small smirk from Mal. “Maybe you’re not completely good, but you’re… You’re like a force, Mal. People are drawn to you. You’re powerful, and you’re amazing.”

She was silent as she took in all of Carlos’ words, blinking again. “You really think all of that about me?”

He certainly hadn’t meant to spill that much to her, but all of it was true. He admired her so much. He loved her so much, and he nodded at her. “I really do.” It was how he was certain he wanted to propose to her...

However, it was only then that Carlos started to realize: he was already in the perfect proposal set-up. Only one thing was missing now: the ring.

“Carlos,” Mal started, her voice quiet.

“Wait,” He interrupted, starting to stand up. “There’s something I need. I-I’ll be right back! Just hold on, okay?”

Pressing a kiss to Mal’s forehead, Carlos stood up quickly and rushed past the wall, leaving his girlfriend confused on the floor. His movements behind the wall weren’t particularly loud, but it was clear that he was moving around and looking for something. _For gods sake, where did he put that ring?!_ He remembered hiding it amongst his personal things, not wanting to risk storing it in any drawers in case Mal found it. With only the dim light of a candle though shining through, he couldn’t tell the difference between his jacket and his pants. He _really_ wished he had a flashlight now…

A couple of minutes passed until Carlos’ hand finally wrapped itself around something small and squared, and he pulled out the box. Opening it, the candle light bounced off and reflected gold, indicating that the ring was still inside. He barely gave himself a moment of relief because he was already rushing back.

At last, Carlos emerged from behind the wall again

...but he stopped when he saw that Mal had fallen asleep on the floor already.

The hope that had ignited in his heart just a few minutes ago was squashed out, and he sighed heavily. He brushed his thumb over the box as he stared down at it, and then glanced back at Mal. He could always wake her up, but by now, his courage had already passed, and he didn’t trust himself to pull it off again.

The right time had ended, and Carlos had missed it.

He walked back behind the wall, setting the ring back where he found it, and then blew out the candle. Carlos went to blow out the rest of the candles in the apartment, leaving only the fireplace active. He was slow as he made his way back to the floor, laying atop of the pillows and pulling one of the blankets back over his body. Mal’s body barely budged next to him.

He covered his face with his hands, resisting the urge to groan loudly. He really needed to grow a pair…

Instead, Carlos peered over at Mal, noticing that some purple strands of her hair had fallen. They were resting right on top of her face and obscuring it from view. She was a heavy enough sleeper that, when he reached over, he managed to brush the hair from her face without waking her up. Seeing her, Carlos smiled thinly, but it did little to ease him.

He loved her. He wanted to be with her.

So why couldn't he just spit it out?


	4. At Last

With only a couple of days left in the week, Carlos had already begun to pack most of his things. The ring, however, stayed constantly with him. If the right moment did come, he wanted to be ready this time, but so far, luck hadn’t been on his side. He did his best to make a moment, asking Mal if she was up for getting dinner or driving through the city, but she kept declining without even giving excuses. It made Carlos’ life infinitely harder.

Finally though, he stumbled across Mal making her way towards the front door, pulling on a jacket. “Are you going somewhere…?” He asked, unsure.

“Actually, we both are,” She informed him, zipping the jacket up. “Wear leather. Tonight we ride.” Which was code for, they’d be taking Mal’s motorcycle out for the night.

“Are we going to be law abiding citizens on this ride?” Considering it was Mal, it was a fair question.

“Maybe.”

“...can I at least know where we’re going?”

Staying quiet, Mal only smirked at him, while she went to grab her keys and her helmet. “I’ll meet you downstairs, pup.”

And with that, she left through the front door. Carlos wasn’t sure if he should be terrified or not, but he knew better than to not go along whenever Mal had a plan in mind. He trusted her, and that trust hadn’t failed him so far. With a sigh, he went off to get changed, and made sure to bring a warm jacket with him. Just because most of the snow had melted, it didn’t mean it was any warmer outside. The jacket also gave him a large enough pocket to store the ring. He grabbed the spare helmet sitting on the counter, before leaving through the doorway.

She was downstairs, right where she said she’d be, and the two of them walked out of the building together towards the bike. The wind was harsh as they rode, but fortunately, their jackets blocked most of it out, and so did the visors on their helmets. Carlos tended to prefer riding with Mal in the summer. Not only were there less chances of an accident, but he enjoyed the feeling that came with holding her close under the warmth of the sun.

This… This wasn’t so bad, though.

The longer the ride went on, the more Carlos started to recognize the direction that they were heading in. Mal pulled up her bike near the side of a large, but familiar building. She switched off the ignition, and both of them took their helmets off.

“You brought us to Auradon Prep?”

Carlos hadn’t seen the school since they had moved out of their dorms during their last summer. Even though a new generation was attending now, the place still looked the same as ever. The grounds were particularly dark though, as not only was it nighttime, but it being winter break meant the school was especially closed. No students were sleeping in their dorms tonight. The place was empty.

“Why are we here?” He asked.

“I just figured, before you leave in a couple of days, we could have a little trip down memory lane,” She shrugged, speaking in an easy tone, as she tucked her helmet under her arm. “What do you say?”

Looking to her curiously, Carlos responded, “I’d say I probably don’t have a choice,” He snickered. “But I’ll follow your lead.”

She smiled at him, and getting off the bike, she made her way to the front doors with him. It didn’t seem like Mal had any sort of key, but Carlos easily recognized the unlocking spell that she recited, and in a flash of green sparkles, the doors opened right up. Mal met his gaze, only to catch the semi-disapproved look on his face.

“What?”

“I wasn’t aware we’d be breaking and entering tonight.”

“Are you surprised?”

No—No, he wasn’t, but he stayed quiet anyway as he followed her inside. There was every chance they would get in trouble for this if they were caught, but luckily, both of them were well accustomed to avoiding serious trouble. As long as they left everything the way it was supposed to be, then Carlos wasn’t complaining.

They passed by their old lockers first, and Carlos could still see scratches of green paint that remained on the locker than used to be Mal’s from the graffiti she once did. She seemed pretty proud of that.

The ROAR arena came next. It was so dark inside that Mal had to cast a light spell to illuminate the room, not wanting to risk turning on any actual lights and potentially triggering an alarm. Where Carlos had lacked the strength to be good enough at tourney, he had certainly been agile enough to be in ROAR—he even made the team before Jay, of all people. Carlos enjoyed that sport much more, and memories of the tournaments he fought in came to mind as he stood atop one of the blocks on the ground, and let his eyes wander around the arena. Mal challenged him to do a flip off of it, to which he snorted in refusal.

They walked through the hallways of the dorms. Whenever neither of them had been busy, all their time was spent hanging out with each other, and Evie and Jay, in their dorms. Those rooms were almost like a first home to them in Auradon, and it was strange to think that new people inhabited them now.

Somehow, it got to a point where Mal had to use the bathroom, which left Carlos waiting outside the girls’ room for her to finish ...he wondered if she knew how strange and awkward this was, breaking into a facility and using the bathroom, or if it was just him.

After Mal emerged again, they found themselves coming back to one of the main hallways, where many of the classrooms were. As they kept walking though, Carlos noticed something coming from the window of one of the classrooms. A dim, flickering light shone through… He stopped in his tracks. _Had someone turned it on?_

“I-I thought you said the school would be empty,” He whispered, looking to Mal.

“I thought it was,” She insisted quietly, eyes trained on the window.

Gulping, Carlos followed where her gaze was. “Maybe we should get out of here…”

Instead of answering though, Mal began walking towards it, and Carlos felt his stomach drop. “ _Mal!_ ” He whispered harshly, going after her.

Peering through the glass, Mal shook her head at him. “It’s okay,” She assured him, gently. Her hand went to the door handle, and pushing down on it, she opened the door. “Look for yourself.”

Carlos blinked at her, very much confused, but he obeyed her anyway. If she said it was safe, then it was safe. He moved closer to the door, and looking past her, he peered inside.

It was their old Remedial Goodness classroom. Small candles were set along the two center rows of desks, creating a small aisle down the middle of the room that led all the way to the podium up front. It was rather pretty… That explained the light, but someone still had to have lit them in the first place. Carlos found himself looking to Mal in question, who was standing near the doorway, but all she did was gesture for him to keep walking ahead. While he was still unsure, Carlos was less uneasy than he had been earlier, and that was enough for him to go along with her silent suggestion.

He made his way up to the podium, but peering down at the surface, there was something small resting there. His heart leapt in his chest, and his eyes were wide with recognition.

It was a ring. A gold one, with the design of a dragon head. Next to the ring was a small index card.

It read, “ _for Carlos_.”

“You find a ring intended for you, from your partner,” Mal’s voice cut through the silence, and when Carlos looked up from the podium, he saw her approach and pick up the ring. He could tell that she was nervous, but her smile was as bright as ever. “Your partner gets down on one knee,” She continued, keeping eye contact with him as she moved down to one knee, and held up the ring. “And officially proposes to you with it.”

Carlos’ mouth was almost hanging open at this point. He wanted to smile back at her, but he was simply in shock. This was real. This was actually happening.

“Do you: A) steal it?” She began, mimicking the over-the-top nature of Fairy Godmother in Remedial Goodness. “B) leave without saying a word? Or C) accept it, and say you’ll marry me?”

Carlos wasn’t sure how long he was silent for, but he snapped out of it when he realized that she was waiting for him to respond. “S-Sorry! I just… I—and you,” He babbled, but as incoherent as he was, the smile on his face was still wide, and he laughed awkwardly. “I-I can’t believe you planned all of this. How…? When did you—?”

“You know that bathroom break I took? I may have used magic to teleport here, and set up the candles,” She revealed with a small chuckle, figuring she’d provide him answers now. “I didn’t want to be too cliche, so I kept the decorations minimal. I knew I wanted to ask you at the school, since we grew a lot here, as a couple and on our own. I also remembered how much we used to make fun of this class together, and act like smart-asses in front of Fairy Godmother,” She added. “It seemed only right.”

“You knew?” He repeated with disbelief, catching her phrasing. “H-How long have you been planning this?”

“Honestly? Ever since you turned eighteen.”

“...that was months ago.”

“I know,” She acknowledged, and stood up again so that she could really see him. Her voice was soft now. “I think I’ve known for a while that I want to marry you. I don’t care when, we can figure that out along the way, but I’ve always loved you, Carlos. You’ve stuck with me for so long, and I want us to stay like that. This is something I want,” She promised him, smiling. “...you can answer my question any time, you know."

 _Right_. He still hadn’t said yes.

“Actually," He paused, his tone growing teasing. "I think I need you to repeat the question. I didn't really get all of those options either—”

“—Carlos!” Mal groaned, shaking her head at him and stifling a laugh, while he laughed with her. She settled down soon, and held the ring out again. Even if she was no longer on one knee, the question remained all the same:

“Will you marry me?”

His smile grew. The answer was easy.

“Yes.”

The next thing he knew, Mal had pulled him into a searing kiss, and he responded all too eagerly. Once their lips parted, she felt him slip the ring into his hand, and he adjusted it so that it sat on his left ring finger.

“I wasn’t really able to go out and buy a proper ring. Not with all the holiday craziness,” She admitted with slight dismay. “It’s one of mine. Consider it a placeholder.”

He blinked, and suddenly, he remembered the ring that sat in his pocket. It seemed that Mal noticed his faltering smile, and looked at him in question.

“Ah, funny story, actually...” Carlos began, cringing at himself, as he reached into his pocket to pull out the box. “I meant to have given this to you earlier on.”

Mal raised an eyebrow at the box that he placed into her hand, and opening it up, she saw the ring sitting inside. She recognized the design to be the same as the one ring she had stolen from him over a year ago. The silver ring that sat on her right index finger now. “It’s…” She mumbled, pausing before she said anything else, and looking back at him. “Wait, were you—?”

“Three times now, actually. Yeah… For what it’s worth, you did a lot better than I ever could have,” He told her, rushingly. “I kept chickening out. I mean, it’s not that I was afraid of rejection, but… I guess, things kept happening that stopped the moment from being the best it could be… And you deserve the best proposal out of me possible.” He pressed his lips into a thin line. “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you that.”

“Hey.” One hand went to rest by the side of his face, and her thumb stroked his cheek. “Just the fact that you wanted to propose to me already means a lot,” She assured, giving him a soft smile. “Don’t sell yourself short, pup.”

“Still,” He huffed, but gave her a little grin anyway. “Thanks for getting to it first. I don’t know if I ever would’ve been able to spit out that question.”

Mal stared at him for a moment, and then back at the box in her hands. She seemed to have a moment of thought, before she covered the box back up, and handed it over to Carlos. “Ask me anyway,” She encouraged him. “You don’t need any fancy words, you don’t need a romantic location because it’s not going to do anything to my answer. None of it changes the fact that I love you.”

He leaned into her touch, and stared into her eyes. “Well,” He swallowed. “If I’m going to ask, I still want to try and do it right.”

He breathed in and out, and then took a small step backwards from her. Getting down onto one knee, Carlos opened the box, taking the ring out and holding it up. The whole time, his gaze never left hers. He didn’t have to be afraid when he was around her.

“I love you, Mal. So much,” He stated, true as ever. “And I want to ask, will you marry me?”

The smile that came to her lips was a small one, but there was no mistaking her happiness.

“Yes.”

Getting up, Carlos stepped close to her again, taking her left hand and slipping the ring right onto her finger. He was pretty sure he was smiling like an idiot the whole time, but that fact mattered little to him. He was allowed to be happy.

“I hope you realize I’m still not returning the silver ring.”

Rolling his eyes, he placed a hand by the side of her face, pulling her close to him. “Yeah, I figured.” And he pressed his lips to hers once more.


End file.
